347. Learned Truth

“Alice took a week off?” Ravenna questioned, extending her arms as the maids carefully adjusted her clothing for the day. The bright morning sunlight poured through the large arched windows, illuminating the spacious bedchamber.

“Yes, Your Highness. She requested a leave of absence, so I will be taking over her personal administrative responsibilities for this week,” Sarah finished, smoothing down the edges of the fabric before stepping back.

Ravenna turned to look at herself in the full-length mirror. The gown she wore was an exercise in revealing elegance, crafted from a midnight-black fabric that seemed to absorb the ambient light around it. It clung to her silhouette like a second skin, structured around a series of deliberate voids that left very little to the imagination.

The top of the dress featured a high, halter-style neckline, but any semblance of modesty ended right there. A sharp, plunging V-shaped cutout dominated the center of the bodice, completely open from her collarbone all the way down to her navel. The solid black fabric framed her torso in clean, geometric lines, tapering down to sharp angles at the hips that sharply accentuated her narrow waist.

From the hips down, the solid black material parted dramatically into a wide, open front. The skirt consisted of two heavy panels of dark fabric that draped down her sides and back, framing her legs like heavy velvet curtains on a stage. Every single step she took left the entirety of her legs completely bare from the thigh down, creating a striking contrast between the fluid motion of the black fabric and her exposed skin and the intricate Apostle mark etched onto her inner thigh.

“Miss Marie has also requested a meeting early this morning alongside Lord Faldeus, Your Highness,” Sarah informed her of the daily schedule.

Ravenna gave a brief nod, dismissing the maids as Sarah bowed deeply and left the bedroom.

“Let’s go see what they want. And more importantly, what’s for breakfast today?” Ravenna muttered to herself with a small smile. She walked down the grand corridor toward the dining room, where Aurora, Kenric, Rexford, and Laila were already seated around the long table. “So Marie didn’t join us for the morning meal, huh... Well.”

Sitting down at the head of the table, she gracefully began eating her breakfast.

“I heard you changed Vice-Captain John’s deployment posting? That was incredibly kind of you, Ravy,” Aurora commented, taking a light bite of her food.

Kenric nodded in agreement. “We will be leaving for Otto City in just a few hours. With this new arrangement, he can complete the immigration escort and return home in just under a week. It’s certainly a better alternative than dragging him into your vanguard operation, Lady Aurora.”

“He really should be by his wife's side during a time like this, after all,” Laila added smoothly. She then glanced around the empty seats and asked, “Is Alice on leave today?”

“Apparently, she wasn't feeling very well this morning,” Ravenna replied smoothly. Finishing her breakfast, she wiped her mouth with a silk napkin and stood up. “Rexford, meet me in my study in a few minutes.”

Rexford nodded respectfully as Ravenna turned and made her way back to the private study, where both Marie and Faldeus were already sitting, waiting patiently for her arrival.

“Mother!” Marie greeted her enthusiastically the moment she crossed the threshold.

Faldeus smirked, his eyes scanning her daring choice of attire. “This style suits you way better than those rigid, suffocating gowns they forced you to wear on the mainland, little Raven.”

Ravenna patted Marie’s head affectionately before taking her seat behind the large mahogany desk. “So, I take it from your early arrival that we have good news?”

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Faldeus grinned, sliding his hand into his coat pocket. He pulled out a heavy, humming metallic ring and placed it firmly on the desk. “Who exactly do you take me for?”

Marie’s eyes were practically sparkling with uncontained joy. “A Glinto Odyssey Ring! Ta-da!” she cheered, making a dramatic surprise gesture with her hands.

Ravenna’s smirk widened. Reaching into the small velvet-lined box resting on her desk, she pinched a dark, shadow-wreathed ring between her fingers, pulled it out, and countered, “An Umbra Odyssey Ring... Ta-da!”

“W-what?!” Marie gasped, her jaw dropping as she looked between the two divine artifacts. “We... we have two different deities' Odyssey Rings now?!”

Faldeus let out a hearty, booming chuckle, leaning back in his chair with immense pride. “I suppose I should expect nothing less from my exceptional disciple.”

Ravenna went on to explain the circumstances of how she had uncovered the Umbra Ring and the ancient ruins beneath the cathedral. They talked for a few hours, dissecting the structural layout of the underground city, until Marie eagerly tilted her head. “So... should I absorb both of the rings right now, Mother?”

Ravenna shook her head firmly. “The first time you absorbed a ring, the entire island was engulfed in blinding divine light, and the second time was exactly the same. I would prefer if we didn't trigger another massive spectacle this time, especially since we have two separate rings to deal with.”

Marie nodded in understanding just as a sharp knock sounded at the heavy oak door.

“Your Highness, it is Rexford,” a voice called out.

Ravenna granted him permission to enter. Rexford stepped into the study, carrying a leather-bound folder. “I brought the paperwork you requested, Your Highness. These are the formal admission documents into the Humanity Defense Force Treaty.”

“Ho, ho! My disciple already knows exactly what I wanted, huh?” Faldeus chuckled, a knowing glint in his old eyes.

Ravenna scoffed, leaning back in her chair. “Do you honestly think I don’t know you by now, Master? You never do anything unless there is something substantial to gain from it. The Simbala Plains have been suffering from a severe shortage of flower supplies ever since you stepped down from your position as Khan. There is only one real reason why you would actively seek me out right now. That sob story about wanting to explain your past to me was just a convenient excuse.”

“Man... you really are cold-hearted to dismiss me pouring my heart out to you as something so shallow,” Faldeus sighed, placing a hand over his chest in mock hurt.

“Don’t take it to heart, Grandpa. Mother just talks like that,” Marie comforted him, gently patting his arm.

Ravenna glared across the desk at the old man. “Ha! You are so sly, Master. Even now, you are clawing for sympathy from my own daughter just to get an upper hand in our business dealings.”

“I ought to play every single card I have in my hand, right? Isn’t that exactly what I taught you?” Faldeus chuckled, affectionately patting Marie’s head.

After an extensive discussion regarding trade routes and logistical parameters, Ravenna signed the final set of papers just as the sun began to dip below the horizon. “With this, the supply of flowers into the Simbala Plains should finally stabilize once the other members of the Humanity Defense Force agree to officially sign you in. We do need a presence on the Western Continent after all, so it’s simply a matter of when.”

“Hmm,” Faldeus grunted, satisfied.

Turning her gaze back to Marie, Ravenna added, “Tomorrow morning, we will venture down into the underground ruins to have you absorb the rings. The depth of that subterranean chamber should be enough to contain the divine light and prevent it from spreading across the surface.”

Marie nodded aggressively, her face flushing with excitement. With their business concluded, both Faldeus and Marie stood up and took their leave.

Ravenna handed the freshly signed documents over to Rexford. “File these copies safely in the archive, and then come to my bedroom afterward. I will sleep with you tonight.”

Rexford smiled warmly, his eyes softening. “Sure.”

As he left the room to fulfill his task, the warm orange sunlight slowly bled out of the sky, turning the study into an ambient hue of deep, nightly purple-blue. Ravenna walked out onto the large balcony, leaning against the stone balustrade. She took a deep breath, staring out at the fading horizon, when a sudden, distinct clicking sound resounded right behind her in the quiet room.

The sound of a flintlock mechanism locking into place.

Taking a slow, deliberate breath, Ravenna didn't turn around immediately. In a low, icy voice, she said, “What is the meaning of this... Alice?”

Slowly turning her head, she saw her childhood friend standing in the shadows of the study. A pistol was held firmly in Alice’s hands, pointed straight at Ravenna’s chest. The lenses of her spectacles caught the silver light of the rising moon, completely masking her eyes.

Alice's breathing was erratic, her chest heaving with an overwhelming surge of panic and sorrow. “J... just...” She paused, her voice breaking as she desperately tried to swallow down the raw emotion clawing at her throat. Taking a sharp, terrified gulp, she asked, “Who... who are you?”